X Of Swords is over and X-Factor tried to take things back to normal. Leah Williams, David Baldeón, Israel Silva, and Joe Caramagna bring us to life in X-Factor #5.
Cori McCreery: The swords are laid to rest, and the recovering begins. For the stakes that were set in our last issue of X-Factor, there were surprisingly few casualties. The only Otherworld death was Gorgon, who went out like a hero, instead of being forever known as a rock [Ed. note: f-word]-er.
Andrea Ayres: You know, little known fact. I am a rock [Ed. note: f-word]-er. In that my husband was in a rock band and…well, you get the idea. Can we say this on TV? Is this Too Hot for TV? Cori, I can honestly say, I think this issue of X-Factor has been my favorite of the bunch.
In The Hot Seat
CM: Well that’s that, we, and the Five, have proof of death for Sofia. But man does David Baldeón sell this scene. The expression on Sofia’s face is one of sadness and fear, and even Adam X [Ed. note: The X-Treme] looks like he has reservations about what’s about to go down. What was your take on this brutal opening sequence?
AA: I think you are right about that Cori. Adam X [Ed. note: The X-Treme] seems like he has resigned himself to this reality, in fact they all have. Though he does give Sofia the option to escape, do you think he was sincere in that? The entire bit, the sort of feeling as if they are in a kind of perpetual motion machine incapable of stopping it or interjecting any bit of agency. The only way they can recover themselves is to disabuse themselves of the reality full stop. They have to extricate themselves entirely. I guess there really is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
CM: Absolutely. I think they both realize that the only way to really get out of Mojoworld is to well, not be alive to be exploited by it anymore. With the Krakoan status quo that is a way to escape without Mojo really knowing that you did. Thank goodness X-Factor was there to make sure her body made it out, and then that her resurrection went off without a hitch. I think it was a wonderfully sweet touch to have Hellion be there for her when she broke out of the egg, along with the rest of her classmates. This issue really felt like a love letter to that era, you know?
AA: Totally. There is so much heart in this issue. Then we got that scene on the balcony, it was touching. The bit about “believe it or not it makes reentry smoother?” Well, it just reminds me of how hard reentry must be. Which is kind of what I feel X-Factor has been getting at all along. It’s a reminder of how difficult the process is on those who are reentering and the people who love and care for them. The emotional cost of resurrection is resonant.
CM: I love that it’s Eye-Boy who insists on tabling work talk, because right now is a time to celebrate. And he’s right, it’s important to celebrate the wins in the moment, especially in times when those wins are less frequent. And considering the Five’s recent trouble with Rockslide, a win was absolutely needed right now.
Out Of Film
AA: Welp. Now we get into one of my favorite parts of the issue. I’ve enjoyed the way Baldeón has rendered Rachel’s chronoskimming throughout X-Factor but I think it’s especially great in the scene with Not Santo. I think it’s also where Williams lets her talent for blending emotional beats, humor, and plot-driven action. Now, that may not seem like a lot, but it is damn it. There’s so much care. I think that’s what I’m trying to get at. Sometimes you read a comic and you simply don’t believe these characters care for one another when they should. You just don’t get that sense here. You have a real feeling of friendship and bonds. There’s some ribbing, there’s some tension and of course arguments, but also a profound care that comes from the way Williams and Baldeón characterize little gestures (like hands on a face). Maybe I’m overly emotional…
CM: Yeah, like the whole sequence with Not Santo is just really powerful, but mixed with some A+ humor. Akihiro offering to test Not Santo’s skin was dark but also hilarious. And like you said, the way Baldeón renders the chronoskimming is just wonderful. As is the moment when she gets yeeted across the room. I also loved the Five getting Rachel’s hound lines when she reached out to them, that’s a really unique portrayal of her powers, which is just really one of Baldeón’s major strengths.
AA: When Rachel explains Not Santo’s timeline to the team, it’s done so well. Explaining it like a film reel running out of film. There’s a kind of violence (obviously) but it also gets me to reflect a bit on the way I live my life, the way we all do, I guess. Which is that there is that inertia and it’s something else to think about the way our past pushes us forward. Got some deep existential stuff happening in my brain. And OMG, I can’t get over Amazing Baby and Not Santo in the panel that directly follows. Adorable, the whole page. My stupid damn heart.
CM: It was the next panel that got me with Eye-Boy just immediately glomming onto Not Santo with “Happy birthday. We love you already.” Trevor is so sweet and soft and I must protect him at all costs. There’s also that setup with Emma and Dani off in the distance, and while I don’t expect that to pay off in X-Factor, I’m still excited for what it’s hinting at.
AA: Yes! Protect Trevor at all costs. Put it on a shirt. Okay, before I say anything else I gotta give a shout out to the “you look good in goo” line because I’m a filthy scoundrel. Okay, I’m back now.
It’s funny how infrequently we get nice people who are interested in doing nice things because they are well, nice. We can see Akihiro having some difficulty understanding Trevor wanting to behave in a way not driven by some other personal desire or to further some other goal back at the Boneyard. I am happy to say Cori that we are getting to one of the best bits of the issue if not the series and it involves our mutual fav, Lorna. I don’t think that’s too presumptuous of me to say, but I’ll let you be the judge.
Back In My Day
CM: GOD. HER TAKING THE PISS OUT OF AKIHIRO IS JUST ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. The way she contorts her body in those panels you can absolutely feel her lowering her voice to make fun of him. She just roasts him and I feel like we should inform the Five to start resurrection protocols after that brutal murder.
AA: It’s so good. I also love the “prom” scene. It’s kinda nice to see people having fun again, remember fun? I know it won’t last forever but goodness it feels good to see these characters getting some time to unpack some emotional baggage and just have a good one. The will they/won’t they between Aurora and Akihiro is killing meeeeeee. Well okay, not really. I just wanna know. Okay I’m very excited to talk about the twins, can we talk about the twins yet?
CM: Oh man, Jeanne-Marie being able to touch her twin again without fear is so much. This is a woman, like the other women on this team, whose life has thus far been shaped by her trauma. And despite the circumstances around it (more trauma, this time being murdered) it’s nice to see that the new status quo can give her a little something back so she can work toward recovery.
AA: As a twin who hasn’t been able to touch her twin because of you know (*gestures to the world*) I felt this scene deeply. I didn’t think I was going to be able to keep my emotions in check during these pages. Jeanne-Marie’s initial response of fear, it demonstrates how attune Williams is to the traumatic response and you know what? That matters. It matters to me that it’s taken seriously. Honest to goodness, I am looking at these panels again, when they take one another’s hands and I’m crying because I’m a big dweeb. Being able to hold someone, with care, with love, with affection. It is a real gift. I honestly am thankful this issue exists because it is so easy to become jaded and cynical about all of this, but we convey so much for one another in how we show up, in how we hold one another. I feel passionately about this hahaha. I’m just honestly glad that it seems like Williams and Baldeón do as well. Woof, okay. I think I’m good. I dunno, how did you feel about it all?
CM: Like, despite everything going on around them, and the harsh realities that X-Factor is dealing with on a regular basis, this issue was kept mostly light and fun, a nice breather from the frenetic pace of the last issue, the breakneck speed of the first three issues. I say mostly light and fun because the issue ends with two massive downers, in the last data page, and our cliffhanger ending.
AA: I think you’ve done about as good a job as any other human could summing this up. It’s a layered, mostly fun issue but Cori? That data page has me scared.
X-Trenuous Thoughts
- I too, am respecting the lesbians, Trevor.
- I want to go to the Boneyard baths.
- There are so many plot threads I need to read — specifically David’s murder being a big one.
- GOD THAT LAST DATA PAGE IS A LOT
- Krakoan Reads: SCREAM
Andrea Ayres is a freelance writer and pop culture journalist.
Yes, it's Cori McCreery—strange visitor from DC fandom who came to Xavier Files with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal critics. Cori, who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, race a speeding bullet to its target, bend steel in her bare hands, and who, also works as an editor for a great Eisner winning website, Women Write About Comics, fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice.
